Another Age, Yet Again
by E3-150
Summary: Chapter 3 is up now. Hope it shows. Rated R for Language and Future Violence.
1. The Newest Raven

This is my first Fan Fic ever...so don't chew me out if things here aren't like the others. I will be using my own story line and my own character I made a long time ago for this story, but it does takes place during Armored Core 2. I didn't come up with the idea of Armored Core 2. All the things here besides the characters belong to Agetec (whoever came up with the game), such as part names, characters I might use from the game, and anything else I have forgotten. If the owners do not approve of this Fic, then I will gladly remove it ASAP. Now that i have that out of the way, enjoy!

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(Note: I will be using the AC I created when I first played the game, it got me through the whole game! So my AC deserves its props! lol)

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Another Age, Yet Again

Chapter 1: The Newest Raven

"...Damn..."

I deactivated my boosters, coming to a stop near the wall. Looking at the panels in front of me, I noticed that my current weapon indicator glowing red, indicating my weapon was out of ammo.

"Out already? A lot of ammunition my ass.." I growled as I switched my ZWC-CN/500 (Lightweight chain gun) back to my primary weapon of choice, the Karasawa-Mk2 (Large plasma rifle, energy based)

"Now...where did he go?" I checked around, relaying on my eyes first and then turning to my radar. "Crap, there's no place for him to hide here, so why can't I...." I was cut off my a large explosion, rather several explosions, as my AC was bombarded with rockets, nailing me in my back and forcing my AC to the ground.

I checked my AP counter, wide-eyed as my AP points dropped another 1000 points, leaving me with a sparse 900. "Damn, I won't be able to take much more...why is it that I can't see this guy in my radar!?" I yelled as I got my AC back on its feet as soon as possible. Just then, it hit me. 

"Duh! He must be using something...his energy readings are dimishing" I read the gauge from my computer screen as I finally saw my target. This AC was using a very unexpected back unit, a ZXR-S/Stealth (Enemy Radar Jamming Equipment), which kept me from locating him on my radar. He probably had snuck up behind me while I wasn't looking and unleashed a barrage of missiles. It was a good tactic, but now I had him where I wanted him, in my sights.

"Gotcha! I'm getting rid of that little equipment you have there too!" I yelled as I brought up my Karasawa and aimed right for his right arm. Just as I was about to fire, my opponent activates its boosters, and begins to charge at me, bringing up its left arm up, unsheathing the compressed energy from his L5-Moonlight (Left Arm Energy Blade) and slashed at me with downward swipe.

"Crap!" I pained, and hit my boosters, quickly strafing to the left, barly dodging the blow. "Now you die" I brought up my Karasawa and fired two quick shots, one nailing his jamming equipment, and the other right into its head unit, destroying the part completely. The AC then fell to its knees and its function ceased. I had won...

De-activating my combat mode, I brought my AC in front of my opponents, savoring my victory. As soon as I did, the crowd cheered as the walls around the arena rose, revealing the crowd that had just witnessed the battle that had taken place. 

"Another victory for our newest fighter, please give a hand to Espikes, and his AC, the Thunder Omega!" The announcer yelled through his microphone toward the crowd, as they stood and clapped and whistled for my victory.

I return my AC to the arena's garage, where it receives its repair (At my expense!!) and I picked up my prize credits. "This is it? I won't be able to get any new parts with this kinda dough.." I thought to myself as I walked toward the exit, leaving my AC behind until its repairs are complete. I pushed the handle bar to the exit door, and walked outside, the cold air hitting my face as I stepped outside.

Its about 4:30 a.m., and the sun will be rising soon. Leaning up against the arena's outside wall, I look out over the ocean, waiting to see the sun rise, awaiting morning. The arena is located on a large island, far away from civilization, the city can not be seen even if you were in a AC or hovering over the island. If a AC were to explode, the people in the city would never hear it. This location makes it a perfect place to hold underground AC tournaments, where the best pilots and they're AC battle just for money and sometimes AC parts. Me on the other hand, I fight for the money. 

As for me, my name is Espikes, and I'm the newest member of this underground brawl we call "The Tournament of Champions". At 19, I am the youngest AC pilot around, and I am always looking for a battle to test out my recent AC, the Thunder Omega. That's basically the only reason I am in this tournament anyway...well..that and the credits. Any credits I receive from my victories I use to upgrade my AC or buy parts. 

The Thunder Omega is no ordinary AC, its overweight, but is still functional. It can match up to some of the toughest AC there is. It has its weaknesses though. Because it is overweight, the AC is slow, so I must rely on my boosters and energy to get me out of tight situations. To save money, most of my weapons are energy based, which either overheats enemy AC's, or do serious damage to certain parts. All the parts on the Thunder Omega are specially ordered through the Earth and Mar Corporation, via our little tournament. Some people work for these Corporations and smuggle in the parts we wish, for a high price, which makes it very illegal. (Now you understand why the tournament is held late at night)

My AC's parts are all original made, except the core. The core is specially made, which not only holds inside, booster and other parts, but my cockpit is also located there. The metal is of a unknown material, but no weapon has yet to penetrate it...as far as I know anyway.

My mind was on my next match, when the exit door suddenly flew open, and my thoughts were interrupted by one of the tournament officials. 

"Espikes?" He said, as he walked outside.

"That be me" I replied, not even turning my head to look at him.

"Repairs on your AC will be complete tomorrow afternoon, so you won't have any more matches until tomorrow, do you understand?" He glared at him, thinking that I wasn't listening to a word he was saying.

I simply nodded, and finally turned my head to look at him. "Anything else?"

The official blinks, then flips through his notebook. "Yep..thats about it. Just be here tomorrow. And on time...or you will be disqualified." He finished, turning around and leaving the exit door. 

"I know the rules....besides...that was a accident." I was late the last time, and I got really chewed out by the officials....all 25 of them. "I'll head home and hit the sack, nothing left here." Getting up off the wall, I walked back in the same way I came out. As the door closed behind me, a strange figure still outside steps out from the shadows as the sun finally rises. 

"I believe he's the one...I'll inform the captain." He then runs off, tripping over objects on the ground on his way.

To get back to the city, all pilots that participate in the tournament are transported to and from the arena via sub. Its a nine hour trip back to civilization, but I didn't care. All I wanted to do was get home and sink into my warm bed. Too bad I wouldn't get to do even that.....

After the long ride and we arrived, I hurried home which wasn't to far from the port where the sub dropped everyone off. I opened the door to my house, and walked in, locking the door behind me. I didn't even bother checking if I had messages, all I did was drop my coat on the sofa, and walked like a zombie to my room and dropped onto my bed. 

"Finally!" I whined as he tried to get under the blankets, but just as I got comfortable.....

"OPEN UP! WE KNOW YOUR IN THERE!" The sound could be hear all the way to my room, which was about three rooms down the hallway. 

"The hell?" I got up, growling as I rushed over to the door, hoping to get rid of whoever was at my door so I could get some sleep, but I was in for a surprise the second I turned the knob and opened the door.

"Earth Government!" The official flipped the badge in my face and let it linger there for a moment before recalling it and placing it back into his coat pocket. "We have a warrant, you'll have to come with us." He snapped his fingers, and as he did, the two officers he had with him grabbed me by my arms and pulled me from my doorway, taking me over to they're car and stuffing me into the backseat. "At least I can sleep back here..." I thought as I was shoved into the car.

After about ten minutes, we arrived at the destination. One of the officers gave me a rude awakening, jabbing me with one of his weapons. "Wake up! We're here.."

At first, I though we had arrived at a prison or a police station, but instead, we arrived at the one of the Earths Corporations, Nerves Concord.

"Huh? Hey....why are we here? This isn't a police station or anything...what is going on?" I asked.

"You've been called." One of the officials replied. "I've been told to bring you here. All your questions will be answered soon enough."

"They better be. Because I'm going to really pound on the guy that won't let me get my sleep!" As you've noticed, I get really upset when I don't sleep, I mean...who wouldn't?!

As I taken through many places inside the Corporation, we finally arrived in a large office, where the official and the officers left me in the middle of the office and left, closing the door quietly as they did.

I noticed a figure sitting in a large indigo chair, he was facing away from me, looking out the large window of his office. For a moment, there was silence, and then he finally spoke.

"Please...take a seat." 

I nodded, doing as he asked, sitting down in a chair in front of his desk. "You are going to face me right?" A drop appeared on the side of my head, hoping this wasn't one of those discussions where he would never see the face of the person we was talking too.

"Hehe...very well.." He turned around, finally facing him. He was a very young man, about in his 30's, wearing the usual black formal outfit with a tie and all that. "My name is Robert Sans, and I'm the vice president of this Corporation."

"Enough of the formalities...get to why I'm here. I'm tired, broke, and I have business to take care of later on tonight!" I yelled. At this point, I didn't care about who this guy was or where I was. I just wanted to get home.

"I see. Then I'll get right to the point." He opened a drawer to his desk, taking out a small folder and slid it toward me. I grab the folder and looked inside, noticing numerous pictures of the Thunder Omega and I in battle at the arena.

"We've been watching you for some time now, and I believe you have just what we're looking for." He turned his chair around again, facing toward the window. "To be blunt, your a very young pilot with a lot of experience, so...

"So?" I said, still holding the folder.

"So, I want to hire you. I want you to become our own Raven."

This really surprised me. I basically stole from they're Corporation, and took part in a illegal tournament, and now, instead of sending my ass to the slammer, they're offering me a job, a job that, to me...I would take without hearing anymore. But something was still bothering me, a question that was in my mind that needed to be asked and answered.

"Wait...so, your not arresting me? Why not? I mean, if you know what we've been doing...why not put the cuffs on me and impound my AC. That is what you were planning...wasn't it?" 

He simply laughed, then answered. "Yes...that was my original plan, but after seeing you in action, my plan changed." He then turned his chair toward me again, looking at me with a grin on his face, and at that point....I knew he had me.

"I do know what you've been up too, so I'll cut you a deal. You accept this job, then all charges toward you are dropped, and you may have the use of our parts for your AC at your disposal, instead of smuggling them in...for a price, of course."

I thought about it. It sounded like a good deal, but should I take it? After a while, I finally nodded. The grin on his face grew wider. 

"Excellent, now...for your first mission. You are to go back to the tournament tomorrow as scheduled, but once you win, you are to take out the entire arena."

My eyes widened and I bolted up, slamming my hands on the table hard. "What?! Are you telling me you want me to destroy that arena?! You want me to betray a lot of people and maybe kill others?"

"Its the only way to see if we can even trust you. Besides, you will receive backup from our forces as soon as everyone has cleared out of the arena...you may then destroy it. Please be advised that you will only be paid if you complete your mission."

This really angered me, and he got lucky. The only thing that stopped me from jumping over the table and choking this man was the amount of money he offered for the mission.

"Nine Hundred Thousand Credits, but only if the mission is a success"

To others, that might not have been enough, but for me, I was a sucker for credits. Crossing my arms and turning away from him, I gave him my answer.

"Alright...I'll do it"

And with that...I became a Raven. That was the easy part it seems, and I got off pretty easy. But, what's gonna happen tomorrow when its time to start the plan? I thought about that all morning after I was dropped off at my house. I wasn't able to sleep that day.

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Well, there you have it, the first chapter of my Fan Fic. I hope you enjoyed it. Please read over and review it and tell me what you think. I will come up with Chapter Two as soon as I can! ^_^


	2. Unexpected Help

Another Age, Yet Again

Second Chapter

Same disclaimer applies to his chapter as well as my First Chapter, so don't say I didn't remind anyone. 

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Unexpected Help

It was a cold Tuesday night. The air has a slight breeze, and the cold air could chill a person to the bone. I grabbed my long black coat from the sofa I left it on yesterday, and opened the door, feeling the cold breeze. I placed my keys and things into my pockets as I locked the door from the inside and walked out, closing the door behind me.

I walked toward the port, my head down and my hands in my pocket as I walked passed numerous people going the opposite way. I still had that little discussion from yesterday on my mind...my mission, and as I kept thinking about it, I started to become scared. 

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I thought, bumping into someone as I walked, ignoring they're words of anger toward me. "I fought many opponents in this tournament...why is it that I feel like I might not come back from this mission?" 

I reached the port, and looked around to make sure no one was following. Once I saw that it was clear, I walked behind the crates, toward the side of the port, and stopping at the pick up point. I met up with some of the other participants of the tournament that arrived early, awaiting the arrival of the sub to take us to the arena. As my luck would have it, I also met up with my opponent from yesterday, and he didn't look too happy.

"There you are, you bastard!" He rushed me, grabbing me by my coat collar and pushing me back, slamming me into the crates, knocking a few over, and probably attracting attention from the people on the other side.

I stared at him. "Do I know you...oh...now I remember. Your the guy I defeated yesterday." I said, mocking him a little. A grin grew on my face. "Sorry, I didn't notice you without seeing you that hunk of junk you call a AC.."

His eyes widen at my words. "What was that?!" He brought his fist up, getting ready to smack me one in the face. "I couldn't quite hear you, so could you repeat that, boy?"

I laughed a bit, looking him in the eyes. "I'm right in front of you, so either your getting old or you need a hearing aid, but I will gladly repeat it...if that's what you want to hear."

This angered him, he was probably real sore because a kid like myself took him down in the tournament. He was just about to strike me, when another person came over and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Hey, cool down. You win and you lose. So don't be a sore loser." 

He looked at me for a moment, before releasing my collar, and backing off. "Fine...I not going to waist my time with a kid like him anyway.." He growled as he walked back to his spot, crossing his arms in front of his chest and mumbling to himself.

I fixed my collar, thanking the guy that helped me out of that little situation. I felt I needed to, because after tonight, he may either be dead, or in the slammer. I turned back to the guy that almost decked me, thinking to myself...

"When I do take out the arena...he'll be the first to go..."

My thoughts of revenge were suddenly interrupted by the sound of water being splashed wildly. I walked over to the edge of the port, looking into the water to find that the sub had arrived, and everyone started to aboard. I did the same, and as I did, my fear came back to me.

Inside the sub, I listened to others talk about the upgrades they made to they're AC, thinking that they'll have an edge over others in they're matches tonight. Even though I was listening, I was also thinking, and shaking. My hands inside my coat pockets trembled as I continued to think about my upcoming mission. 

"So many people here....have no idea what is going to happen tonight.." I thought to myself, not realizing that I was clutching my house keys, which raddled as my hands trembled, attracting the attention of a few people. A drop appeared on the side of my head as I calmed down, hoping that they would mind their own business.

The ride to the arena seemed to take less time that it usually did. To me, the nine hour trip seemed like 15 minutes. I was nervous, and sweating under my coat. Once we arrived, I climbed out and stood outside for a moment, not only to feel the cold air cool down my body from its perspiration, but to take a last long look at the arena. It would never look like this again...

I headed to the garage, looking around at the other AC's preparing for they're matches, and checking out the new upgrades I had heard so much about during the sub ride. Most weren't much of a improvement, but others would make a large difference in a battle. After a while, I finally reached my AC, the Thunder Omega. Walking over to it, I placed my hand on the side of the leg part, speaking softly. 

"Things are going to get wild tonight...I hope you can handle it" 

"I'm sure she can." I jumped at the other voice coming from behind me, and turned around, seeing the mechanic that was assigned to did the repairs on my AC. "She's all fixed up and I've received your payment. So your all set." 

I looked up at my AC, thinking. I then turned to the mechanic, taking off my coat and handing it to him. "Listen, you should leave early today...I'll get my repairs done later"

He stared at me strangely, but he seemed to understand. I never really knew this guys name, but he seems like a nice guy, and anytime I would have a problem, I would never have to tell him, because he could see it in my eyes. Kind of like a father or something. I really didn't want this guy to get hurt.

"I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but I'll trust you." He said, turning around and suddenly stopping. "Oh...I almost forgot!" He turned to me again, handing me my schedule. "Your opponent is #12 of 25...he's a hard one, so watch your back." 

I nodded, looking over the paper, then tearing it in half, tossing the pieces to the ground. I then climbed up the ladder to the core, and opened a small compartment that hid a button, opening up the cockpits entrance. I hopped in and closed the entrance, strapping myself in tightly and sitting back against the chairs cushion, awaiting my match.

I waited over 2 hours, when I was finally called to the arena, the crowd cheering as my opponent and I entered the large battle grounds of the arena. We stopped as the entrances of the garage area closed, trapping us inside the arena walls. The crowd watched as we set our AC's in combat mode and the protective walls around the arena finally closed, forcing the audience to watch from a very large T.V screen, which spans the entire inside part of the battle field. We awaited for the signal. 

"This match will be a contest between to powerful opponents" The announcer spoke through the microphone. There was a silence for the moment, and then, without notice, he yelled "Begin!"

As soon as those words were heard, my opponent and I both activated our boosters and took flight, flying toward each other. My opponent saw me coming toward him, so he activated his L5-Moonlight (Compressed Energy Blade) and took a swing at my core. I saw this coming, and brought up my Karasawa-Mk2 (Large Energy Rifle) and fired partly at point blank range, nailing him in his core, but I could not get out of the way of his blade in time, as his blade struck my core, slashing a cut imprint into the front of it. 

We both landed, our AC leg parts slamming into the ground, creating a small and quick tremor as we hit. "Damn...1200 AP points gone already?" I took a quick glance at my AP counter and back to my opponent. He had disappeared. This always happens. I would have my opponent in my sights, then I would turn away, and they would be gone in a instance.

"Crap!" I knew exactly where he was, right behind me. On instinct, I activated my extension, which where small but powerful boosters that, when activated, turned my AC around in a 360 degree circle, totally surprising my opponent.

"There you are!" I hollered. "You won't get away from me!" I strafed to the left, turning on my boosters at the same time, rocketing me in the direction I wanted, and brought up my Karasawa and fired 2 shots. My opponent then rocketed upward, my shots missing him, he then came down at me, and brought up his back units, locking on to my AC and firing 4 missiles, two from each side. At first, I decided to take the hit and counterattack, but suddenly, the missiles spilt, the each missile dividing into 2 other missiles, and now there were eight, all aimed at me.

"Whoa!" I turned on my boosters and tried to evade them the best I could, but there were too many. Two collided into the wall, while the other six slammed into the front of my AC, sending me into the wall. I could feel my AC's body slide down the wall and into a sitting position, then it hit me. "Since I'm in this position...I might as well.." I quickly opened a small cover on the side of my chairs arm rest, and flipped many switches into the ON position, and closed the cover. My computer screen beeped continually, activating my attack, The Omega Barrage.

I gripped the joystick that slid up, ready to fire. Looking through my monitor at my opponent advancing on me, I yelled out. "Omega Barrage!" I pressed the two buttons on the joystick, which suddenly activated both of my back units, my Ion Pulse Cannon and Chain Gun. Once they were in position, they then fired, unloading as much ammo as possible at my opponent, catching him by surprise. 

It seemed my opponent panicked, and turned on his boosters, backing up, but my shots hit him dead on, slamming him into the wall on the opposite side of where I was. I saw my chance, as I fired a shot from my Karasawa, missing him on purpose. The shot hit the wall, exploding into a cloud of smoke, and I used it to my advantage, getting up quickly and pushing my overboost lever forward, blasting my AC straight over toward him. Activating my EL5-7880 (High Damaging Blade, short range), I brought it straight forward, in a stabbing motion, and it seems I hit. As the smoke cleared, I could see that my blade had traveled through my opponents core and into the wall behind him. I putted out my blade, and as soon as I did, the AC must have shorted out, becuase it suddenly exploded, knocking my AC back just a bit, and killing whoever was inside.

I watched the burning AC, knowing I had won. But I didn't feel very good about it. Then, my mission came back to me. This was it. It was now or never. The walls around the arena could not be destroyed by my Karasawa shots, but my blade was good enough to get the job done. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a transmission that came in from my onboard communicator. 

"Espikes, this is Sans." I growled at the sound of his voice, and replied. "Go ahead."

"My units are waiting on the outside, you may commence your mission."

"Damn...I really don't want to do this...I better make this quick" I thought, as I brought up my blade, and before the announcer could announce my victory, I tore through the arena walls with my blade, making a nice clean cut down the side of the wall. As soon as the wall was breached, a alarm wailed, as a warning that something had gone wrong. Once the walls of where the audience watch rose, I turned my Karasawa toward them, hoping to give them an idea of what I was about to do and warn them to get out. It seems it worked, but it wasn't my rifle they were scared of....

"Good....now to..." I didn't get to finish my sentence, as I was shot in the back by a grenade blast, sending my AC stumbling forward. I recovered, and turned around, noticing that almost all the participants of the tournament where here, with they're weapons drawn, ready to fire. 

"Don't move, traitor....you know the rules." This voice was strangely familiar, I then remembered. It was that guy, who tried to hit me before the sub came this evening. 

"You broke the rule, and killed a pilot. Not only that, but is seems that your trying to destroy the arena. The officials have asked everyone in the arena to destroy you." His words angered me...and I wasn't going to listen to him any longer..

"This time, no one is...." He never finished, as he was hit by a shot from my Karasawa, taking out his head unit in one clean (and lucky) shot. 

"Oops...I missed his cockpit..." I said, my voice sounding a little uneasy. "But, at least he's quiet."

The other participants weren't going to listen to anything I had to say. All 12 of them (Well, 11 now) begin firing at me with everything thing they had. 

"Oh shit!" There were so many shots, and I was barely able to dodge a few of them. My AC was hit multiple times in every part, and I still kept moving, firing my own shots at them to retaliate. Even though my shots hit and knocked them back a bit, they continued to fire, as if they had an unlimited supply of ammunition. As I strafed to the right, I activated my EL5-7880 (Energy Blade) and dashed around in a circle, coming up right behind some of the AC's that had to be in a crouching position to fire at me. I swung my blade downward at one of them located in the middle, my blade slashing down from the head unit and straight down, going right through the core, taking out the AC easily. 

"Damn it!" One of them yelled. "Take his ass down now!" Suddenly, every AC turned to me, and I was located in the middle of them all. I quickly swiped at one of the AC's to my left, able to take out an Arm unit before they all fired. I then turned on my boosters, backing up and dodging a large amount of the shots, and, instead of hitting the target (Me!), the shots hit they're teammates, doing the damage for me. To finish it, I fired my Karasawa shots toward them while they were in complete confusion, doing more damage. 

At first, I though that I would make it out of here with no scratches at all....how wrong I was...

As I was backing up, my boosters suddenly stopped, and my Karasawa would no longer fire. 

'The hell?" I took a glance at my ammunition gauge, noticing I still had about 32 shots left. "I still have shots left, so why...." A suddenly beeping sound caught my attention, and I looked over at my energy gauge, reading the flashing words..... 

"Charging"

I blinked, completely forgetting all the energy I was using. I slowly looked up at my enemies, as they began firing again. I was a sitting duck, and I was helpless until my energy gauge was completely recharged.

"Damn....at least I went out swinging" I thought. "I hope where ever I'm going...they let me take my AC with me....Espikes...likes to make a good impression." Those where my last thoughts, as every grenade, energy blast, and solid round of ammunition hit my AC, hitting me hard and slamming me into the wall of the audience seating, and it didn't stop there. Once my AC hit the wall, they continued firing, not letting up for a second.

I was a goner. I had no help from anyone. The backup from Nerves Concord was busy with some of the other fighters on the outside, leaving me by myself. The blast my AC received were devastating, blasting off one of my arms and a back unit. It wasn't save in the cockpit either. Spark flew everywhere, and pairs from the inside were tossed around like nothing. I might have been hit with something, as I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, but I decided to disregard it. All my systems were shutting down, and my gauge still hadn't fully recharged. I closed my eyes, waiting for them to finish me off, when suddenly, there was a large explosion, but not coming from my AC or from my enemies AC's...but...it came from the roof.

I heard the destroyed pieces of the roof fall to the ground, and looked up, amazed that my monitors were still working, giving me a view of what was happening outside. I saw the enemy AC's up ahead, but they had ceased their fire. 

"They stopped?! But why?" 

I soon got my answer, as a different AC slowly dropped from the ground, landing softly using its boosters. I got a good glimpse of this AC from the back, and was surprised at what it was packing. This AC was carrying two interesting back units, a EWC-GN44-AC (Large Powerful Grenade Launcher), and ZWC-CN/500 (Lightweight Chain Gun), an exact replica of my own back unit. I also noticed that it carried a Karasawa-Mk2 like my own in its right hand, and a L5-Moonlight on its left hand unit. I could tell this AC was built for speed...

One of the enemy AC's turned to the newly arrived challenger. "Alright, that was a nice entrance, but you better get going. Mind your own business" 

The AC just stood for a moment, staring them down. A young male voice then replied. "No...I think I'll stay." The AC turned to look at me, noticing that my AC was completely destroyed, and barely functioning. He then turned back to his enemies. "Besides...starting now, you guys are officially my problem." Without warning, he activated his boosters, flying straight toward them.

The enemies seem to once again unleash their barrage of ammunition, and strangely, the challenger AC was able to dodge them all, boosting to the left, right and above them. Course, this didn't keep me out of the crossfire either, as missed shots still hit my AC. Inside, I finally noticed that the beeping from my energy gauge had stopped, my gauge now fully recharged. I found that my arm unit holding my Karasawa was still operational, so I decided to give this new guy some unexpected help. 

I patch a direct link to him. "Hey, I don't know who you are, but I'm able to provide cover fire!" 

He seemed to snap at me in his reply. "Cover fire?! From that destroyed hunk of junk? Whatever. I don't need any help from a kid like you, so sit back and watch from a master." He seemed to prove this, dodging the shots coming toward him and boosting around a pillar, taking cover from enemy fire. 

His AC was skinny enough to hide, but his reversed legs seem to stand out a little. The enemy AC's noticed this little opening and split up, moving slowly around the pillar, trying to trap him. 

"I have you all right where I want you." He got into a kneeling position and waited. Once a AC was in his sights, he then boosted upward, just as missiles approached him, dodging them. He floated in the air, and it seemed he was still in a kneeling position, hovering above the ground. 

"Gotcha..." He activated his EWC-GN44-AC (Large Powerful Grenade Launcher), the large cannon barrel lifting up and toward his targets. "Kiss your parts good bye!" Inside his cockpit, he gripped a handle just above his right shoulder, and pulled back as hard as he could, activating a mechanism in which outside, firing a grenade toward the two AC's he was aiming at. The grenade hit one AC dead on, scoring a shot in the core part, and on contact, exploded into a large ball of fire which spread quickly, engulfing the AC right next to it, seeming overheating this AC as it fell, smoke bellowing from the head, core and back part of the AC as it slammed into the ground. 

"Yahoo!" The challenger yelled with excitement in his voice. "You ass is grass!" His victory was short lived, as he was hit in the back with three missiles, sending him back to the ground. Luckily, the AC landed on its feet.

"What the hell?" He turned to see that there were two other AC's left. "You'll pay for that.." He yelled, as he spun his AC around, firing about ten or eleven shots at them one of them. The enemy AC's split, dodging a few of the shots, but were hit by others. This wasn't enough to stop them, but as the enemy AC's recovered, both had lost sight of the challenger.

"Shit!" One screamed. "Where did he go?" They looked around frantically, trying to find their target, when suddenly, they got what they wanted. 

"So long fuckers!" The challenger AC dropped from the air, and without giving them time to react, activated his L5-Moonlight (Compressed Energy Blade), and slashed downward onto one of the enemy AC's, going down from the head unit and straight down through it, slicing it in two, causing it to explode as his blade finished traveling into the AC.

"Holy Shi..." The other AC never finished his sentenced. The challenger AC swung its blade to the left, slicing right into the second enemy AC's core part, taking this AC out as well, a large amount of blood gushed out of the cores slashed opening, indicating that the fate of the pilot inside was sealed. The AC then stood, looking around, noticing that everyone around him had been defeated. 

Inside my cockpit, I had witnessed it all. Everything this challenger did, from dropping in from the roof, to taking out about 8 or 9 AC's at one time, all by himself. I tried to get my AC up, but the Thunder Omega was missing a leg part, redeeming it incapable of moving at all. 

The challenger then turned to me, and made its way over to my busted up AC. I was about to thank him for helping me out and all, until I looked into my monitors, seeing a barrel of a Karasawa pointing at my head unit.

"Now...tell me why I shouldn't blast your AC away like all the others?" He said, his AC's rifle still pointed toward me.

"Umm....uhhh..." I couldn't respond. I had no idea what he was going to do, and I didn't know how to answer. I probably would have blurted out a "Please don't shoot me! It was the credits!", if it wasn't for Sans sending me a communication link. I wasn't able to place it on a private link because of my console begin destroyed earlier by the shots, so it could be heard by not only me, but the challenger myself.

"Espikes, this is Sans. Everything is clear outside and the fire inside as seemed to cease. Are you alright in there?

The challenger laughed, and put down its rifle. "Heh, looks like this mission is over. See you later then..." He then turned and began to leave the same way he came in, if it wasn't for me...

"Hold on!" I yelled, slamming my fist on my arm rest, looking at his AC through the monitor. "Who the hell are you...and why'd you help me out?"

"Pfft, I didn't do this to help you, dumb ass. I came here because I felt like it. You just better be lucky that I didn't blow that piece of crap apart with you inside it." Activating his boosters, he slowly floated up into the air, toward the hole in the roof where he came. 

"And for your info...my names Seer...and stay out of my way, or else Totalizer and I will tear you apart." He then lifted off into the hole in the roof and disappeared. 

After a while, San and his men came in and apprehended the men that were still alive inside they're destroyed AC's and were able to pull my busted up AC out of the arena and outside to a boat. Opening my cockpit entrance, I crawled/stumbled/rolled/fell out of my cockpit onto the ground, where I was attended to by a few medics, finding a cut on the back of my head and patching it up. Sans soon came over to where I was.

I stared at him as the medics wrapped a large bandage around my head. 

"There....I did it...are you happy?"

He grinned a bit, then looked at me. "You did well, and we were able to shut down the arena. We will implode the place later, but for right now.. are you alright?"

"Sure...I'm just peachy. My AC's basically destroyed, I've got a big cut on the back of my head, I've betrayed so many people and killed others. But what really ticks me off is that AC you guys sent in to help me. What was wrong? You didn't think I could handle it on my own?"

A puzzling look came on Robert Sans face, he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes toward me. "AC we sent in? You must be mistaken...because all our units were with me...out here." 

My eyes widened. "You mean...that person wasn't one of your agents or men?" I asked. 

Sans simply shook his head. "No....did he say what his name was? Maybe he's on file...

I thought about it, the picture of the mysterious AC dropping in, and taking out his opponents. I also remember the barrel of a rifle pointing down at me. After that, I was able to spit out his name.

"His name?" I replied, as if I had forgotten. "His name....was Seer..."

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There you go, Chapter 2. Sorry it took so long. I've been really busy and I didn't know how to make out the battle scene. I had to play Armored Core a while before I could make out a good battle scene and plan. This chapter was really long, hopefully the rest might not be as long. Chapter 3 will be up soon, but I might wait for a while. But still...bear with me! Laterz ^_^


	3. We Meet Again...

Another Age, Yet Again

Third Chapter

Disclaimer still applies, so don't even go there.. ^_^ (If ya haven't see it, go to the First Chapter)

________________________________________________________________________

We Meet Again...

A loud ringing sound suddenly blasted throughout my bedroom, scaring the pants off me. I rolled over on my back and lifted up my hand to the shelf attached above my bed and moved my hand around, trying wildly to stop the sound of whatever was ringing. The sound was unbearable and I had to stop it now.

"What the hell..." I said, my eyes half open and my voice was weak as I had just woke up. 

As I felt around, I touch something I assumed was making the noise, so immediately I slammed my hand against it, hoping to shut it up. 

Big mistake....

Once my hand hit the object, I could feel that it was round, plastic and light? I didn't notice this until it was too late, as my hand knocked the object over, a luke warm liquid splash into my face. 

"Ahh, crap! " I jumped up with a start, shaking my head to try and get the water out of my eyes. Rubbing my eyes quickly, I remember that my alarm clock was located on my dresser, so I reached over and slammed my hand on clock, shutting it up.

As I calmed down, I took a glance over to the clock. I had overslept. It was 11:45 a.m, close to 12 o'clock. I usually get up early, about 8 or 9, don't ask me why. Finally I got up and walked to the bathroom, cleansing my face with fresh cold water and looking into the mirror. 

I could hear as my TV turn on automatically, it seems the timer on it worked. As I washed up, I could hear about the destruction of the arena happening today. I looked at myself in the mirror, thinking about that day...

After that large battle I had in the arena, all participants of the tournament were arrested, they're AC's impounded (What was left of them anyway..), or taken apart to retrieve any operating part that was smuggled in. San's men also went in and checked around, not finding much, except destroyed AC parts and human body parts scattered along the ground from the unlucky pilots that didn't seem make it out alive. I killed so many that day, about 10 men. It may not seem much, but even one life lost seemed huge to me.

It had been three days since the arena was raided, and I was given a few days to get rested up. I had a large cut on the back of my head, but it wasn't anything that a few pain killers, rest, and a bandage couldn't fix. My AC wasn't in such good shape either. The Thunder Omega lost a Arm and Leg unit, my FCS was fried, as well as my onboard computer, and my generator had been completely destroyed from direct core shots. It cost about half my credits to fix the whole thing. I was also sent to the hospital for checkup by one of Robert Sans officials, being in a AC that was bombarded by gun, missile and laser fire can do some serious things to your body, even if you don't feel it. Good thing my medical bill was paid by Sans, which I though was nice, but he probably had something else in store for me, so I didn't say anything.

I decided to take a quick shower, but I stopped when I heard that, in about 3 minutes, the arena would be destroyed by implosion. I wanted to watch as the arena was destroyed from the inside, but I had a change of heart, forgetting about it and taking my shower. I never wanted to see it again..

After the shower and getting dressed in my usual clothing (black shirt, sweat pants and black shoes, Nikes of course), I was just about to clean up when I heard another ringing, it was faint, but hearable. 

"Huh? Where is that coming from? It sounds like a phone, but I don't have anything that rings like that.." 

I was curious as I walked around my room, listening to the sound to locate where it was. Not hearing it in my room, I walked into my living room and the ringing got louder, and once I stopped by the sofa, the sound was at its loudest. It seemed to come from...my coat pocket?

I rummaged through one pocket, finding nothing interesting but lint, a breath mint, and a quarter, but then I felt something in the second pocket. I was surprised when I pulled out the object, finding a gray colored cell phone, still ringing. I quickly opened it up and placed it to my ear, finally answering the call. 

"Finally you answered, I was hoping I didn't put it in the wrong persons coat, heheh"

I recognized the voice. It was my new boss. 

"Sans? What the hell are you calling me for?" I replied, getting a bit annoyed. "I do have a phone here you know.."

"I was just calling to check up on you, but I see your feeling like you always do. Oh, and by the way...how do you like your new toy I slipped in your pocket?"

"I'm ecstatic...." I said, sarcastically. I really didn't need another object that made noise.

He simply laughed. "Wonderful. Now, if its not to much trouble, could you come by the office here? I have a few things to show and discuss with you. Goodbye.

He hung up, not even hearing my answer. I could do nothing but hang up the phone and place it back in my coat pocket. 

"Argh...I don't even know what is keeping me from choking that man..." I thought to myself as I went back into my room, cutting off my TV, grabbing my keys, coat, and then walking out.

I would usually walk to the Nerves Concord Office Building, but with the credits I earned from my very first mission (after subtracting expenses, which was a lot!) I was able to get myself a nice car. Pretty good one too. Its a year 2000 so it is a bit old, but it suits me just fine. I climbed in and started it up, taking off toward the Nerves Concord Building.

I reached the building in about a half an hour. I decided to park inside the underground parking, I figured I would be here a while. I got out and walked to the entrance, security easily let me through, knowing I was expected by Sans, and they led me to the elevator. Once we arrived, they handed me two keys on a key chain, both keys had my name on them and they also instructed me on how to use them in the elevator.

Once the doors to the elevator had closed, I did what I was instructed, placing one of the keys in a keyhole at the bottom of the button panel, turned the key and removed it. As soon as I withdrew the key, the elevator did the rest, taking me down to the very bottom, or the floor the elevator called "GA". After the wait, the elevator doors opened slowly, and I was completely surprised at what I saw.

I now knew why the elevator called this floor "GA". GA was short for "Garage Area", because here, there is a large underground garage area, where AC'a and other machinery where being tended to and repaired. I stepped out of the elevator and looked around, amazed at how large the place was. The place spanned out for almost ages, about three or more football arena's put together. AC's and others that looked just like them where lined up against the wall in a standing position, not sure how they kept stable if a leg part had fallen apart. Farther down, there was a large steel door, which stood about 3 or more stories high, probably controlled by a machine to open and close it.

As I looked around amazed at what I saw, a blue AC caught my eye, and then I realized that that AC was the Thunder Omega. I had been completely repaired. New leg and arm parts and everything, it had also been cleaned up. It looked better than new. I also saw the entrance to the cockpit open, and a person inside. Angered by this a little, I rushed down toward it, preparing to climb up there, grab that person by the collar and toss him to the ground.

As I reached the front of the AC, I noticed a crowd of men, probably repairmen, looking up at the Thunder Omega. I stopped right behind the crowd, looking around and trying to hear what they were talking about, but to much commotion was going on. 

I chuckled a little. "They're probably admiring the best AC in the whole garage, maybe I should show them who the owner of this bad boy is..."

It seems one of the repairmen had heard me, as he turned toward me and spoke. 

"So your the owner of that baby there? Your a lucky guy. I wish I had a girl like that."

It seems he had the wrong idea, as he seemed to be pointed to the person up in the cockpit.

"Eh? What are you talking about? I think your mixed up here...I own the AC, I have no idea who that person is up there...but he or she...is coming down!"

And with that, I pushed through the crowd of people, disregarding they're words and going toward the side of my AC. I was just about ready to climb up there when I saw a large elevator lift begin to descend slowly. I backed up, a bit in front of the crowd and watched, ready to pounce on the person as soon as the lift touched the ground.

Once the lift touched the ground, there stood a young girl, just about my age, holding a wrench in one hand and a light looking tool box in the other. Her face was a little dirty, I guess from cleaning up, and her hair was long, a bit lower than her shoulders, and a little matted, but other wise ok. She wore overalls, the same all the other repairmen wore, and a jumpsuit under it, except it was a different color, a light blue. In the light, her skin seemed to glow from all the hard work she had been doing. I now understood what the repairmen were looking at, because even now, this girl was hot.

The girl looked around, a bit confused at all the people staring at her, and she then noticed me. She walked up to me and held her hand out. 

"Hi! I haven't seen your face around here before."

"Umm...well.. I.." I couldn't even answer this simple question. Good thing I was saved by the one person I hoped would appear. Robert Sans...He walked through the crowd and placed his hand on my shoulder. 

"I see you made it. Well? What do you think? We fixed up your AC, and our new mechanic seemed to do a real good job, I'd say.."

I closed my eyes a little, recalling my anger, and shrugged his hand off my shoulder. I turned around and got in his face.

"Oh yea...I appreciate you fixing up Thunder Omega and all, but no one goes into my cockpit without my permission, or unless I'm with them...(That way I can brag! lol) And another thing...what is with getting a girl to fix up my AC? I could have done a...Oww!

I was cut off by a sharp pain. Something had fallen on my foot, something hard and heavy. I looked down to notice a wrench on the ground. I hopped around a little to shake off the pain, and I remember that "she" was behind me. Slowly I turned as she got in my face. I could swear I saw a vein on her forehead as her eyes met mine. 

"What do you mean!" She yelled at me. "You have a problem with me fixing up your AC? I worked pretty hard to get it the way it looks now! You should be grateful you arrogant little snot!"

Sans simply laughed as we argued. He was finally able to stop us. 

"Now, now you two...I want you two get along. Besides....you two will be working together. Besides...both of you don't even know each others names. Now, introduce yourselves"

She seemed to calm down. "Yea...I guess so.." Rubbing her hand against her pants leg and placing it out to me. 

"My name is Shannon, I'll be your mechanic and navigator during your missions."

Getting rid of my anger for now, I took her hand and shook it, returning the greeting. 

"I'm Espikes, owner of the AC your repairing. I guess Sans here has told you a lot about me." I said, feeling proud of my reputation.

She blinked, as she seemed to be thinking, she then smiled and replied. 

"A lot about you? Hmm...as far as I know...I don't have a clue about you."

A little disappointed, I turned to Sans, wondering why he had called me in. "Hey, you said you wanted me for something?"

He looked at me and suddenly remembered. "Oh right. I need to discuss some things with you. If your going to work here, you need to know and remember what we will talk about. Follow me to my office." He then turned to the other repairmen still watching. "The rest of you, back to work now...come on!"

The crowd whined a little before dispersing, going they're separate ways. I watched as Sans walked toward the elevator, and I was about to follow when a hand was placed on my shoulder. It was Shannon.

"Hey, you don't have a problem with me working on your AC now...do ya?" She asked, eyeing me a little.

I shook my head, my anger under control this time. "As long as you take care of my baby here...then you can work on her...but, if you change anything...."

She waved her hands a little, walking back to the lift. "I get the hint, I won't change...much..." She hit the button after finishing her words, causing the lift to rise back up to the cockpit. She waved once more before going back to work.

"Geez...I'm gonna..." I shook it off and walked back to elevator, meeting back up with Sans as the doors closed and he pressed the button to the fifth floor, where his office was located. 

During the ride and the walk toward his office, he told me about the building and some ground rules that applied to both above and below the garage area. For one, I was given access to the shop down in the garage area, allowing me to purchase any parts at my disposal, as promised. Also, all repairs to my AC would be done for free (I really liked this rule, it would mean more credits for me!), and all replacement parts would be at no cost, but paperwork would have to be filled out and all that. 

Next, he explained to me the two keys I was given. Both keys give me access to the garage area and the hatch area, incase I need to open the large steel door to get the Thunder Omega out on my own. If I were to lose those keys, then I would be screwed...because I don't get any more, so I guess I'll have to make a copy and keep it at home. 

The last rule is that all missions assigned to me must be completed unless told otherwise. I would only be paid when my mission is complete. This rule I have already been though, so it shouldn't be much to worry about.

That is basically what the discussion was all about. It wasn't long before I was given a new mission. 

"So...what now?" I asked, leaning back against the chair in front of Sans desk. 

"During your first mission, you told me about another AC in the arena with you, am I correct?" He replied, tapping his fingers against the desk, awaiting my answer.

I nodded. "Yea....he said his name was...umm...Seer. He was really active, even in his AC"

Sans turned around in his chair, facing toward the large window, thinking to himself. "I see. Well, while fixing your AC, you black box was damaged, but we were able to extract the conversation you had with him."

I looked up a little, thinking. "Funny...I remember that black box, but I never remember installing it though."

Sans shook his head. "That is because the officials from your tournament installed it. Remember yet?"

I shook my head. "Not really...hey, how'd you know?"

He laughed a bit. "You should know we know just about anything, M'hehe. Anyway, through some research, we were able to find his wavelength and tap into his communications. Our intelligence has found out that he stays in a large warehouse downtown. There are two warehouses, but unfortunately, we don't know which he is currently in"

Nodding, I rose up from my seat, slamming my fist into my palm. "Say no more! You want me to go the warehouses and find him. Am I right?"

Turning his chair to face me again, he nodded. "So I see your going to do this one?"

I simply nodded. "Oh yea! I owe that guy a rematch....I never got to even fight him, and he called my AC a piece of junk. He'll pay for that wise crack!"

Sans laughed, placing his hands together. "You really appreciate that AC of yours. Alright then, leave ASAP. And take this with you." He then reaches into his dresser and pulling out a small electronic device, handing it to me.

Eyeing the device, I looked up at him. "What the hell is this thing?" 

"That thing, is a PMB (Portable Mission Briefing). It will give you information about your mission, and your earnings. You will always receive one of these for each mission. You can keep it until you finish your mission, but once it is completed...bring it back."

After looking at it for a moment, I then nodded. "Right, I'll keep in touch....maybe" Before he could say anymore, I rushed out of his office and into the elevator, going down to the garage area. After the doors opened, I rushed out and to my AC, stopping in front of it. 

"Hey Shannon! Are ya up there?" I yelled. The lift was up and I didn't know where the button was, so my only choice was to get Shannon to bring it back down. "Hey! If your sleep up there....wake up!" 

It seemed my yelling worked, as I saw a head of hair look down at me. She waved.

"Hey, your back. Need something?!" She yelled at me as she looked down.

"Yea, I need you to lower the lift! I have a mission!" I pointed to the lift and nodded at the same time.

She seemed to get the idea, getting up and going over to the lift. She then lowered it down, tapping her foot against the steel, waiting. "Well, what is all the commotion about?" 

"I got a mission, so I need my AC, that is what's going on!" I told her as I got onto the lift, basically forcing her off or I would have ran into her.

She stumbled off the lift and stomped her foot onto the ground hard, obviously pissed. 

"Hey! Watch it! You can't be in that much of a hurry are you?

I slammed my hand on the button, activating the lift, sending me upward and causing it to stop just to the left of the core. I opened the cover located outside the core and press the button inside, opening the entrance to the cockpit. I quickly hopped in got into my chair, strapping myself down, and checking systems before I shut the entrance to the cockpit.

The inside hadn't changed since the arena battle, except two things. First of all, my chair had been changed to a comfortable recliner chair with a indigo color. My panels on the armrest were still there, just the way they were in my old chair. Lastly, there was a new panel on the other armrest, a button, encased in a lift able plastic case. There was no label or anything, so I had no idea what the button did, so I left it alone...for now. 

The large steel door of the garage finally opened slowly, and my AC was released, allowing me mobility. I started up all my systems, in which all were working great, and started walking toward the steel door, and beyond. My AC stopped on a steel panel attached to the floor. I was instructed to wait here by one of the officials controlling the gate control. Outside around the back of the building, the ground split open, and the road leading outside lifted upward at an angle. Inside, I could see the road lifting up at an angle, and noticed that the panel my AC was on, was on the same road, and after a few seconds, the panel shot forward with incredible speed, despite my AC weight, launching me outside and into the air. The panel slammed into the end of the road, stopping and sliding back into the entrance. I activated my boosters and flew off, watching as the exit of where I was just shot out from closed, leaving no trace that it was even there at all.

My AC had a extra booster attached to the back, which would take me straight to my destination, and then would disconnect. It was a great tool in saving me energy for the battle I just might have when I reach the warehouse. 

After about an hour, I reached the warehouse...or warehouses. There were two, right in the middle of an abandoned residential area, the perfect place to keep a AC. The warehouse was huge, able to house as many as 50 AC's, it was truly a great sight to behold. I landed in front of the first warehouse. This one was wore down, and falling apart. I refused to touch this one, knowing that even if I had pushed the side of the building, the whole thing would have fallen apart. Seeing this...I moved on to the second one.

This one was well kept, and cleaner that the first one, but still old. Activating my heat radar, I got hundreds of readings of something generating heat inside the old warehouse. 

"This is the one.." I thought. "Time for some payback!"

Activating my boosters, my AC rose from the ground and up to the very top of the warehouse. Just like the PMB had indicated, the entrance to the warehouse was here. There was a door at the very top of the warehouse, and it looked like if I did enter, it would be a long drop to the bottom floor. 

Looking around, I noticed that there was no way in. The mechanical door was shut tight.

"Hey...how the hell am I suppose to get in here?" I thought. "I could blast it open, but I would lose the element of surprise.

I soon learned that I had lost the element of surprise long ago, as a voice came over on my onboard communicator. 

"So... we meet again.." It was Seer, his voice was unmistakable. "Welcome to my home, rookie"

"You know I'm here?!" I looked around, seeing if I could locate a security camera or something, but found nothing.

"Course. I saw you when you landed near the first warehouse." He laughed, finding it amusing that he had caught me by surprise. "I see you want access inside, and I'll be glad to give it to you. Come on in" He cut off the communication, and as soon as he did, the door on the roof of the warehouse opened, revealing a dark opening. I was right. It was a long drop, and the entrance looked dark and endless. 

"Oh boy...that's a long fall." I said, looking down the endless pit of darkness. I shook off the feeling. "Oh well, I've come this far, can't back out now. Seer...here I come!" 

I yelled this as I jumped down, my AC disappearing into the dark hole entrance of the warehouse. Once my AC was covered in the shadows, the entrance of the warehouse closed. This was it....

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This has got to be my longest chapter ever. Sorry it took so long. I have a girl that read my story and liked it a lot, and she begged me to place her character on here. So I had to do a little research and creating before I could start this chapter up again. Anyhow.... I know its long, and I promise that the battle with Seer and Espikes will be sweet! Until next time. Laterz ^_^

P.S: Thanks to those who reviewed my story. I really appreciate your opinion and it helped me out a lot in my confidence. Thanks you guys! *_*


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